


balloon squad | five boys in love

by WritenStuff



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fivesome - M/M/M/M/M, Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, The Balloon Squad (SKAM), dude imma just write them in cute scenarios and see what happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-04 01:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10980678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritenStuff/pseuds/WritenStuff
Summary: An AU in which the balloon squad live together and love together in their beautiful poly relationship.





	1. did someone make waffles?

Yousef popped two waffles in the toaster before grabbing milk from the fridge and filling two glasses he’d already left out. After retrieving a tray from one cupboard and a plate from another, he placed the plate and the two glasses of milk on the tray and waited for the waffles to pop.

Just then, Yousef heard the sound of bare feet padding into the kitchen. He turned to see Mikael. The baby faced boy had sleep mussed hair and wore pyjama bottoms with a white t-shirt that was raised at his midriff where his hand idly scratched his stomach. Yousef’s eyes snagged on the expanse of tanned skin before finding their way to his face again. It was obvious he wasn’t long awake, his eyes still heavy lidded with sleep.

When the waffles popped in the toaster, Yousef was startled out of his appreciative gaze and thoughts. Mikael glanced towards the toaster and then the tray with the two plates and glasses of milk. “Aw, is this for me?”

Yousef was busy fishing the waffles out of the toaster and plating them up. He grabbed butter and spread a generous helping over both before glancing over his shoulder. “Obviously, but now you’ve ruined it by getting up.”

Mikael chuckled, walking up behind Yousef and curling his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Yousef’s shoulder. “Do you want me to go back to bed and we can pretend this never happened?”

Yousef bit back a grin and turned his head, laying a soft kiss against the freckle above Mikael’s lip. Mikael turned his own head, catching Yousef’s lips with his own for a brief kiss. Yousef spun Mikael, pressing him to the counter top before lifting him up on to it. Mikael spread his legs and Yousef rested against the counter between his knees. Mikael wrapped his arms around Yousef’s neck, his elbows on his shoulders as his finger tips toyed with the cropped hair at the nape of Yousef’s neck.

Yousef’s hands rested on the counter at either side of Mikael’s thighs, his thumbs lightly brushing against the patterned fabric of his pyjama bottoms. Mikael smiled, those boyish features awash with feigned innocence.

It was an odd thing that he managed to look almost guilty with innocence when he hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

Just then, Adam walked in and smiled as he saw the pair of them. He came to a stop beside them and dropped a kiss on each of their cheeks before nodding to the rapidly cooling waffles. “None for me, eh? I see how it is. Damned favouritism.”

This was Adam’s favourite joke and they knew he didn’t mean it but it didn’t stop Yousef defending the couple breakfast he’d made for himself and Mikael. “Weren’t you and Mutasim supposed to be going for a run at eight?” Yousef said, glancing at the clock on the cooker that read 8:19am. “I didn’t think anyone else was around.”

“Excuses, excuses,” came Adam’s retort but he was smiling now. Yousef lightly pushed on his shoulder, no real force behind it, and laughed.

Mutasim then made his entrance, sniffing the air a bit as his brow creased. He was wearing running shorts and some black long sleeved top made out of tight material that showed off every dip and curve of his lean body. “Did somebody make waffles?” he asked, stopping behind Adam and wrapping his arms around his waist. Adam rocked back against Mutasim, his hands coming up to grip the forearms wrapped around him.

“Yeah, these two decided to have breakfast in bed,” Adam said, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Mutasim.

“Dude, you never make me breakfast in bed,” Mutasim’s reply was directed at Yousef and both Adam and Mikael laughed. It amused both of them that Mutasim could guess the fact it was Yousef putting together the breakfast. It was such a Yousef thing.

Yousef rolled his eyes, pulling out of Mikael’s grasp and went to fetch a couple more waffles. “Well Mutta, if you didn’t insist on going for a run every morning then maybe we’d have time to have breakfast in bed.”

“He does have a point,” Adam piped up, the corner of his lips tipping upward into a traitorous smirk. Mustasim grumbled low in his throat, unwrapping his arms from around Adam and shoved him lightly into the side of Mikael’s leg. He was still sitting up on the counter and reached out a hand to grip Adam’s shoulder to steady him. Mutasim hadn’t pushed him hard but Adam had been comfortably resting back against Mutasim’s body and hadn’t been expecting it.

Mikael tugged Adam back between his legs, filling the space Yousef had left, the small of his back resting against the counter as Mikael wrapped his arms around Adam’s chest.

“Maybe we should just skip the run, just for today, and all go back to bed and have breakfast together,” Adam said, the smile on his lips spreading encouragingly. Hopeful.

Now it was Mutasim’s turn to roll his eyes. “If you don’t want to work out, it’s fine. I can go by myself. You don’t _have_ to go.” This was something he found himself saying often, as Adam tried to talk his way out of their run or their work out almost every day. He enjoyed the benefits of it and even enjoyed the time they spent together doing it but it was always a challenge when it came to motivating Adam to follow through.

Adam reached out, turning Mutasim’s face with a hand cupping his cheek. He looked at Mutasim through dark lashes, his dark pupils rimmed by the palest green. “Of course I want to go, I just thought we could enjoy some waffles and then find another way to work out.” Adam bit down on the cushion of his full bottom lip, his thumb brushing against Mutasim’s cheek.

Mutasim playfully brushed Adam’s arm away, Mikael’s laugh sounding in his ear at Adam’s failed attempt at seduction. “I’m not breaking my routine because you want waffles.”

Yousef walked back over to his boys with two more waffles, complete with butter on top. “Well, I’ve made them now so you best eat them.“ He tossed both waffles on to one of the plates he’d laid out for himself and Mikael.

“Thanks but you three can share mine. I’m off out before it gets any later, since this one,” he said, nodding towards Adam, “already made me sleep in.”

Adam put a hand on his chest, his expression shocked and appalled at the accusation. “I didn’t hear you complaining before.”

Mutasim hummed in his throat, not committal with his retort. He dropped a kiss on to each of their cheeks before heading out the door.

Adam lifted one of the waffles and took a generous bite out of it before chugging some of the milk to wash it down. “This has been lovely, lads, but I better catch up with him or I’ll never hear the end of it. Enjoy your morning,” Adam said after swallowing his small breakfast, pressing his own kisses to their cheeks and following behind Mutasim as he called out, “Hey, dude, wait up.”

Yousef glanced towards Mikael. He was still perched on top of the counter, a small smile on his lips. “Bed time?” he said, that smile spreading into a subtle smirk.

“Bed time,” Yousef replied with an answering smile as he lifted the tray, not bothering to refill the glass of milk Adam had left half empty.


	2. netflix and chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elias and Adam settle down to watch a nature documentary for date night.

“Is this Netflix and chill? Are we Netflix and chilling?” Adam asked, tugging Elias back against his chest as they sat together on the couch in their living room. Elias had just hit play on a nature documentary that he’d been saving for their ‘date night’. It was a cert that Adam would talk his way through it but Elias didn’t mind. He was used to it.

“Well, this is Netflix and I mean, I’m pretty chill. You?” Elias said, a smile spreading on his lips as he tilted his head to the side and up to look at Adam. Adam mirrored his smile, his free hand coming up to lightly cup Elias’ cheek. He tilted Elias’ face up further as he pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“Yeah, I’m chill,” Adam replied, his hand moving to take one of Elias’ and intertwining their fingers. Elias loved the strong grip of Adam’s hand in his own, their palms flat against each other.  Adam let his head rest against the side of Elias’ head, feeling the bristle of his cropped hair against his cheek. “What is this about anyway?”

Elias chuckled. Adam was one of those people that would ask questions instead of working it out from whatever he saw on the screen. “It’s about bears.”

The smile on Adam’s face broadened, and he squeezed Elias closer to his side. “Bears huh?” 

“Yeah, it’s about preparing for hibernation. Stocking up on food and then sleeping for ages. Sound familiar?” Elias smirked as he looked up at Adam again, his brown eyes glittering with humour.

Adam’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in mock shock and offence. “Me?” He could bite back his smile no longer, laughing out loud as his hand moved to tickle against Elias’ side.

Elias squirmed away from Adam but he was trapped by the strong arm around him, pinning Elias to Adam’s side. Using his free hand, he pushed at Adam’s chest in an attempt to stop him. “Stop stop! I take it back!”

Adam stopped immediately, a broad smile on his full lips. “Dude, you give in way too easily.”

Elias settled back in against Adam, lower in the couch from all his wriggling, he rested his head against the warmth of Adam’s chest.

“Damn, those are some cute bears,” Adam’s chest rumbled as he spoke. On the television, a number of bears stood in a river catching fish. As each bear made a successful catch, Adam laughed.

Elias’ dark gaze lifted to look up at Adam, watching him. “Yeah, they are,” Elias replied, a subtle smile tipping the corners of his lips upwards. Adam didn’t notice him watching, engrossed by the bears on the television. His hand toyed with Elias’ in his lap.

The boys heard Mutasim before they saw him. “Oh, you guys watching a show about Adam’s family?” he quipped with a smirk on his lips as he flopped down, his body taking up the entire length of the couch. His upper torso and head rested along Adam and Elias’ thighs.

“Already made that joke,” Elias laughed, lifting his free hand and tangling his fingers in Mutasim’s hair. “Good try though.”

A small pout rose to Mutasim’s lips as he turned his head a bit, leaning into Elias’ touch. “Great minds, I guess.”

Elias’ smile grew and he leaned down to press a brief kiss to Mutasim’s lips before resting back against Adam.

“You know what? I’m not even pressed. I’m proud to be associated with these magnificent beasts,” Adam said, puffing out his chest a bit as a show of pride. Mutasim and Elias laughed as they both looked up at him. A mischievious smile formed on Adam’s lips as he untangled his hand from Elias’ before using one hand to tickle Elias again and the other to tickle Mutasim. Elias began to flail, as did Mutasim, both of which dislodging Mutasim from where he lay across Elias’ and Adam’s lap. Mutasim almost rolled right off on to the floor until Adam reached out and gripped the fabric of the back of his t-shirt, saving him. He stopped tickling them both. “That’ll teach you to mess with this bear!”

Elias and Mutasim panted, trying to catch their breath after the struggle. “Damnit, I hate tickles!” Mutasim grumbled, shoving up and off Adam and instead taking a seat on the couch beside Elias. He figured he was probably a safe distance there. Elias nudged him with his shoulder and smiled before whispering against his ear. “No worries, we’ll get him back eventually.” Mutasim smiled in return, brushing a kiss to Elias’ cheek.

“I heard that,” Adam sneered, lifting the arm wrapped around Elias and resting his hand on top of Mutasim’s shoulder. “Don’t do anything you’ll live to regret.”

Mutasim leaned forward, looking passed Elias and smiling at Adam. “I wouldn’t dare.” Adam smiled in return. He was so soft on that boy. Adam’s hand moved up to ruffle the long dark strands of Mutasim’s hair as he laughed. Mutasim turned his head and kissed Adam’s palm before Adam rested it back down against his shoulder. “Good.” Adam replied. 

The boys sat quietly, watching the documentary for a few minutes before Elias turned his head to glance in Mutasim’s direction. Mutasim’s eyes met Elias’ and he quirked a brow. “What?”

“You’re disturbing date night,” Elias replied and Adam nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, dude, you kind of are,” Adam spoke up, a smirk forming on his lips. Mutasim rolled his shoulder, shrugging Adam’s hand off it.

“I mean,” Elias continued. “I don’t mind but since you’re crashing, maybe you should go make the popcorn.”

Adam perked up at the mention of popcorn. “Yes, crasher makes the popcorn. It’s only fair.”

Mutasim just stared at them for a moment but his shoulders slumped a little as he admitted defeat and got up from where he was sitting. “You know, I’m not that interested in bears anyway,” Mutasim said, grinning before leaving the room and heading up stairs.

“He’s not making us popcorn, is he?” Adam said, his brow furrowing as he looked at Elias.


	3. the meaning of pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five boys enjoy their first Pride together and bump into an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested at the beginning of Pride month and I've finally gotten around to it. Haha. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Pride everybody. <3

 

Mikael tipped his head up towards the sky, a smile spreading on his lips as the rays heated his cheeks. If Allah was homophobic, there was no way he'd have given them this weather for the parade. His first Pride parade.

Just then, Yousef came up behind him and curled his arms around Mikael's shoulders, laying a gentle kiss on the soft skin just above the collar of his purple t-shirt. “There you are, I thought we'd lost you. This crowd is thick.”

Mikael turned his head, returning a kiss to Yousef's cheek. “Yeah, sorry. I got distracted.”

“It's okay but we have to find a good spot to see the parade,” Yousef replied, slipping his hand down Mikael's arm to thread their fingers together. “Lets go find the oth-”

As Yousef turned to lead Mikael towards where he'd left Adam, Elias and Mutasim, he came to an abrupt stop when he walked into the lanky, blonde form of Even. Even Bech Næsheim. Yousef's hand tightened on Mikael's just a fraction. An involuntary motion that he knew Mikael felt by the way in which he glanced at him for a split second before turning a beaming smile in Even's direction. Yousef felt his cheeks heat and he forced a smile that he wasn't confident met his eyes. 

Even's hair was perfectly coiffed as ever and he wore jeans and a white t-shirt, with a hoody tied around his slim hips. On his cheek he had painted a rainbow and in one hand he held a Pride flag and in the other he held the hand of a blonde boy. Yousef's eyes travelled up the length of the boys arm and found a youthful face, blonde hair curling around the edges of a maroon snapback. He wore light brown trousers and a t-shirt with a print on it. His own jacket was slung over the arm of his free hand. Something Yousef's eyes had snagged on was the freckle just above the guy's thin lips, a freckle that reminded him of one he often kissed. One he'd almost lost.

From the baby face to the freckle, Even obviously had a type. That thought almost had Yousef tightening his hand on Mikael's all the more, so he all but physically shook that thought from his head. That chapter was done with now, they were happy. Even seemed happy too. It was petty to hold on to those negative feelings, that fear. But there it was all the same, like a pin lodged in his heart. A reminder of what could have been. The piece of him that could have been missing.

As Mikael conversed and exchanged pleasantries with Even and his boyfriend, Yousef's eyes found Mikael and he swallowed passed the dry lump in his throat.

Yousef was brought out of his dark thoughts when a warm hand slid into his free one and he saw Adam pull up on the other side of Mikael. He turned and saw Mutasim beaming a smile in his direction and felt the weight of Elias' arm as he leaned into the gap between Mikael and Yousef's shoulders, draping his arms around both of them.

“I wondered what was taking you both so long. The parade is probably going to start soon and we lost our space to come find you,” Elias said, his hand patting Yousef's chest where it rested against it. Mikael turned his head and nuzzled his face into the crook of Elias' elbow.

“Sorry, we were just catching up with Even. This is his boyfriend, Isak,” Mikael spoke up, throwing a smile in the blonde headed boys direction. “Even is going to be in the parade, so I don't think we have to worry about missing it. I'm sure it won't start without him.”

Damn. Yousef must have really blacked out during that whole conversation because he had no recollection of the fact Even was to take part in the parade.

Elias took his arm from around Mikael's shoulder and extended it between his boyfriends. Isak reached out and shook his hand. “Hi, I'm Elias.”

Isak nodded, a polite smile on his lips.

“It's good to see you, man. How have you been?” Elias addressed Even then, his own smile playing on his lips as he laid his arm around Mikael's shoulders again.

“I've been pretty good, thanks. We just moved in together, so that's cool. Nice to be out of the parent's place. You guys definitely had the right idea,” Even replied, a broad grin on his full lips as he looked to his boyfriend standing beside him. He had that dreamy look in his eye that he used to look at Mikael with and Elias took comfort in that. It was nice to see he had moved on, that he was happy. He deserved that.

Mutasim rested his cheek against Yousef's shoulder and smiled. “Yeah, we really did. Family are great and all but there's nothing quite like living with the loves of your life, or uh... love of your life.” Why Mutasim felt compelled to amend the end of his sentence, it was anybody's guess but it garnered a chuckle from Even.

Yousef kissed the top of Mutasim's head and smiled. He was such a romantic.

“Uh, are you guys dressed in the colours of the Pride flag?” Even said a second later, his brows raised as if it had only just occurred to him.

Sure enough, they were. Mikael in purple, Yousef in blue, Elias in green, Adam in orange and Mutasim in red.

Yousef, who was yet to speak, gave a light shrug of his shoulders as a smile warmed his features. Surrounded by his boyfriends, he felt so much more at ease. That pin prick in his chest a little less sharp. “We figured it being our first Pride and all, we'd put in the extra effort.”

“Wait, did you forget yellow?” Isak asked, amusement on his young features.

“Nah,” Yousef shook his head.

“Yeah, my sister is around here somewhere. We let her have first dibs on the colours if she came along with us,” Elias replied, a fond smile on his lips as he talked of his sister. “She's with some of her friends though, so I'm not sure there was much point.”

“She's probably gone to scope out that girl from school,” Adam piped up, chuckling to himself. “I think she mentioned asking her to come along.”

“Ooh, is Sana finally crushing on someone?” Even asked, running his hand through his hair, his flag now hanging from his pocket.

Isak perked up at the name but he didn't say anything.

Even checked his watch, his brows shooting up at whatever time he saw there. “Okay, we need to jet. I should have met up with everybody already,” he said, turning to Isak. “Are you heading back to the guys? Text Jonas and see where he is. I don't like leaving you in this crowd alone.”

At that, Isak rolled his eyes as he raised their joined hands and kissed the back of Even's. “I've been in crowds before. I'm a big boy, you don't have to worry.”

Even tugged him into a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to Isak's lips. “Yeah, okay. I think my float is somewhere around the middle of the parade. I mean, I'm not saying you should definitely get photos of me but...”

Isak laughed and nudged Even's nose with his own. “I'll get photos, don't worry. Go on!”

The guys almost thought the two had forgotten they were there, so wrapped up in his boyfriend, until Even addressed them all with a smile. “It was great seeing you guys, maybe we can do something soon?”

They all glanced at each other before making a non-committal series of grunts and nods. They didn't want to be rude but they needed to discuss it. They didn't agree to things without discussing them. Communication was key if you were going to make things work between five people and they'd learned exactly how important it was because of this very man himself.

Something passed over Even's features just before he departed with Isak. Yousef released tension that he didn't even realise he'd been holding. He pushed his face into Mutasim's hair, his head still rested against Yousef's shoulder, and gave a sigh.

Sensing his mood, Mutasim moved in front of Yousef and wrapped him up in a hug. Yousef finally let go of Mikael's hand and wrapped his arms around Mutasim. He felt the press of Mutasim's lips against his ear as he whispered. “It's okay. He's okay. You're okay.” Yousef's hands clutched at the back of Mutasim's red hoody as he turned his head into Mutasim's neck, soaking up his calming warmth. Mutasim was like a balm to the soul. He was vital.

Yousef felt a hand cup his exposed cheek and he turned his head to find Mikael looking at him knowingly. A mixture of understanding and hurt written across his features, his beautiful features. Yousef hated the fact Even and what had happened still had this impact on him, hated the fact his reaction to it hurt Mikael. What was worse was the fact it wasn't like he was the only one that had gone through it. They _all_ had. But for some reason he was the only one that couldn't get the fuck over it. The only one that was visibility shaken by a chance meeting with the guy.

Yousef leaned in and pressed a kiss to Mikael's lips. “I'm sorry,” he whispered and pulling him into the hug with Mutasim. Adam and Elias decided to get in on the action too and the five of them ended up in a group hug, the sea of Pride goers moving around them.

“Ew, get a room,” came a voice from amongst the crowd. The guys stiffened for a split second before the smiling face of Noora came into view, Sana beside her in her yellow hijab. She didn't wear bright colours often but gosh when she did, she was really a sight to behold.

The boys moved out of the hug and smiled at the girls. “The parade is about to start, aren't you getting a spot to watch from? It's a bit hectic,” Elias asked.

Sana shrugged in response. “We figured we would come find you guys, thought maybe you'd already have a spot... but apparently you're just standing around hugging each other,” Sana said, quirking a slender brow at her brother and his boyfriends.

“Funny. Nah, we saw Even. Had a bit of a catch up with him,” Elias said, a small good natured sneer at his sister. The way in which Sana's eyes flitted to Yousef for a split second told Yousef that even she knew he hadn't let things go. He glanced away.

Noora went to say something but Sana gripped her forearm and she bit back whatever she'd been about to say. “Ah, how is he?” Sana said, letting go of Noora's arm as Noora looked between her friend and the guys.

“Seems good. He's in the parade, so give him a wave if you see him,” Elias replied, and Sana nodded.

“Shall we go find somewhere to stand?” Mikael said, taking Elias' hand and tugging it a little to get his attention. “I don't want to miss it because we stood around talking.”

Elias rolled his eyes but his smile was as good natured as ever as he addressed his boy. “Dude, we came to find you... you were the one we almost lost and you were the one chatting to Even first. If we miss it it's because of you.” He put extra emphasis on the word 'you' throughout his point.

A frown knit Mikael's brows together and Adam wrapped him in a hug from behind. “I mean he has a point.”

“Well, I'm sorry I stopped to enjoy the lovely weather Allah blessed us with,” came Mikael's gruff response. He wasn't really upset but he could play up to it when he wanted to, use those baby boy looks to lay the guilt on thick. “I didn't realise you guys would walk on without me.”

Mutasim laughed and reached out a hand, ruffling the soft brown strands of Mikael's hair. “Those big puppy dog eyes aren't working today, dude.”

“Nope,” Adam agreed, pressing a playful kiss to Mikael's cheek.

“Come on guys, I'm going to get a cavity if I watch you any longer,” Sana said, the corner of her full lips tilted up into a smirk.

“You're just jealous because you haven't got things locked down with that girl from school yet,” Yousef winked and his teasing grin grew as he noted the pink hue rising to Sana's cheeks. Noora raised a questioning brow at Noora but she waved a hand as if batting away the unspoken question.

Elias nudged Yousef with his hip and rested his hand on Sana's shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. “Okay, okay. Let's go,” he said as he turned her towards the direction of the parade route. Elias kept his hands on Sana's shoulders as they made their way through the crowds, Noora and his boyfriends following close behind.

Twenty minutes or so later the gang had made their way through the dense crowd and found a spot to watch the parade from. In the near distance they could hear the thrum of music and the beat of drums, telling them they'd just made it in time. Yousef stood behind Mikael, his arms wrapped around him. Adam stood between Elias and Mutasim, an arm around each of them, both of the boys tucked in at his side.

It didn't take long for the parade to reach them, three drag queens leading the way in a top down pink convertible as they waved at the people lining the parade route with one hand and waved rainbow flags in the other. Mikael reached back and tugged the bandanna from Yousef's head and waved it in return as Yousef laughed.

Behind the car came different floats, as well as people dancing and marching in front and behind them. They waved flags and banners, all bright colours and different slogans. There was people of all different ages, from the very old to the infant. There was trans people and cis people, people of different race and religion, abled people and disabled people. Even dogs walked with rainbow coats. There was such creativity in every float and the different outfits and costumes people wore. Every single facet of the parade screamed creativity and freedom. The complete and utter freedom to be who and whatever you wanted to be or who you always were, surrounded by those who understand the importance of it all.

Each and every one of the boys felt their hearts swell as they watched the parade. While they'd always felt a sense of belonging with each other, the whole atmosphere surrounding them just brought it to a whole new level and they held each other just that little bit closer. Comfortable in the fact nobody here would bat an eyelid.

When the next float caught Mikael's eye, his face lit up and he turned his head, flashing a beaming smile at Yousef as his hand came up to grip his forearm. “Look!” he exclaimed excitedly as his free hand motioned to the float. “A float for queer Muslims!”

And sure enough there was a float reading LGBTQ+ Muslim Pride and on it there was a mixture of men, women and those in between, some in traditional dress and some not. Some of them wore hijabs and some did not. One person more a niqab with a rainbow tutu around her waist.

Elias reached out and gripped Sana's shoulder, nodding towards one of the women that wore a pan flag hijab and a grin rose to Sana's painted lips. “Maybe you can get one of those for next year,” Elias said with his own smile.

“Remind me why it took us so long to come to one of these?” Sana said in reply.

As the float passed, Mikael looked up at Yousef again. “Maybe next year I can get involved in that float. It looks super fun.”

Yousef smiled, leaning in to kiss Mikael's cheek. His boyish good looks were adorable when he was excited about something. But then again, when were they not? “Yeah, it does,” Yousef said in reply. “Maybe the rest of the guys can get involved too.”

Mikael frowned for a moment. “Hrm, I don't like the idea of you being left out...”

Yousef shrugged with a simple lift of a shoulder. “I don't mind. I'll cheer you guys on and take photos. Somebody needs to take photos.”

Mikael smiled at that as he turned back to the parade, and Yousef hugged him close as he settled back against him. Yes, he'd love to see his guys up there enjoying themselves. A real coming together of their faith and their sexuality. It hadn't always been easy for them to reconcile the two. No way would Yousef want him and his lack of faith to stop them from having that, especially Mikael who seemed so excited about it already.

“Guys, look. It's Even,” Adam said, nodding towards yet another colourful float. Dancing on it was the tall blonde with a placard that read _'I'm not crazy, I'm bipolar'_ in the pan flag colours, a smile beaming across his face. There were various other signs on the float that read things such as _'It's good to talk'_ and _'The closet is a dark place'_. The float seemed to be a celebration of those within the community that live with mental health issues and also a bringing together of them. A reminder that nobody is alone but sometimes the closet can fool you into thinking you are.

Yousef glanced from Even to his boys and he was struck once again by just how lucky he was to have them. His heart so full of love for them it might burst, as clichéd as it sounded. And in that moment, as he watched the face's of the boys he loved light up as they watched the parade, he felt like he truly understood the meaning of Pride.

 


End file.
